Uggla alone with four 30-homer seasons

Marlins slugger first second baseman to hit the mark

When he homered in the eighth inning of Monday's loss to the Phillies, Dan Uggla became the first second baseman in Major League history to hit 30 home runs in four seasons. Previously he had been tied with Rogers Hornsby, Jeff Kent, Alfonso Soriano and Chase Utley.

"It is really cool. A lot of hard work getting to this point," Uggla told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. I have never taken anything for granted.

Uggla has accomplished the feat in just five seasons, too. He hit 27 homers as a rookie in 2006.

Call sends Rich Hill packing from Patriots game: So much for the start of Rich Hill's offseason. While attending the New England Patriots football game on Sunday with his father, Hill received a call from the Red Sox telling him they were adding him to the Major League roster.

"We left a little early and got out of there after the first quarter," Hill told the Boston Globe. "But this is exciting. It's a great opportunity."

Hill, 30, has been a Red Sox fan all his life as he grew up in Milton, Mass., and now lives in South Boston. A veteran of three Major League teams, Hill signed a Minor League contract with the Red Sox in June. He appeared in 19 games for Triple-A Pawtucket, making six starts, and went 3-1 with a 3.74 ERA. Left-handers hit only .170 against Hill.

"It's quite an honor to be able to come here," Hill said. "I went to a lot of games and saw a lot of games at Fenway sitting there. My brother and his friends are season-ticket holders. It's fun."

Flu ends Fielder's streak at 327 games in a row: On Monday night, Prince Fielder sat out for the first time since Sept. 2, 2008.

Fielder's flu symptoms halted his consecutive games streak at 327 -- all of which were starts. The streak, which started on Sept. 3, 2008, was the longest in the Majors and is the longest in Brewers history. Robin Yount once played 274 consecutive games.

Manager Ken Macha had held out some hope that Fielder could be used as a pinch hitter. But Fielder, who received an IV before the game, looked "terrible" and was sent back to the team hotel before the first pitch of the game.

"That just tells you how incredible the streak is," Macha told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "You've got to take care of yourself, you've got to get your sleep, you've got to eat right."

Park matches Nomo at top of list: Chan Ho Park, a native of South Korea, picked up his 123rd career victory on Sunday against the Reds. In doing so, he matched Hideo Nomo for the most Major League victories among Asian-born players.

"It's special," Park told MLB.com. "It's important to me and probably for most Koreans. I know there are people who have followed me since my first game here who are very happy."

Fifteen wins puts Arroyo in rare company: For the third straight season, Bronson Arroyo has posted 15 victories, the first Reds pitcher to do so since Tom Browning did it from 1988-1990.

"That's being as consistent as you can get right there," Reds manager Dusty Baker told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "There aren't many 15s three years in a row. The ones that are, are the big boys. You don't think of Bronson as being one of the big boys, like CC [Sabathia] or [Chris] Carpenter or [Roy] Halladay. [Arroyo] is one of the big boys. He just doesn't have the big-boy stuff. The name of the game is to win."

Brignac's first walk-off homer a memorable one: Reid Brignac ended an outstanding pitchers' duel on Monday night when he hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Rays a 1-0 win over the Yankees. It was the first walk-off home run in Brignac's career.

"An unbelievable feeling," he told the St. Petersburg Times. "You just feel like you're floating on clouds. I had a couple walkoffs in the Minors, but nothing compares to this."

Wagner serving as mentor in bullpen: Billy Wagner has been a mentor for fellow relievers Craig Kimbrel and Jonny Venters.

"He's a leader," pitching coach Roger McDowell told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "He takes great pleasure working with the young pitchers. Whether it's Kimbrel or Jonny Venters or whoever, he takes great pleasure in trying to help those guys get better."

Torres feeling better after appendectomy: Just two days after having an appendectomy, Andres Torres was in the Giants' clubhouse, offering encouragement to his teammates. While Torres does not know when he'll return to the team, he is glad to finally know why he was experiencing pain in his side.

"I don't know, to be honest with you," Torres told the San Jose Mercury News about his return date. "They told me a few weeks, but I hope I come back early. I'm going to do my best to get back to the field. Let's just wait and see what happens."

Kohn showing he learns quickly: Michael Kohn never pitched until he was a senior in college. During one practice he was fooling around, went to the mound and registered 96 mph with his fastball. Kohn now has a 2.51 ERA in 17 appearances for the Angels.

"I guess I was fortunate enough to pick it up quickly, and I was in the right place at the right time," Kohn, who was drafted by the Angels in the 13th round with just 10 innings pitched on his resume, told the Los Angeles Times. "But I still have a lot to learn. Most guys have me beat by 12 years' pitching experience."

"Part of me is happy that it's over," Walker told MLB.com, "but part of me is happy that it seemed like the hits that I was getting were good hits. Obviously, I knew it was going to come to an end at some point, but I was happy to put a string like that together."

Bloomquist to provide a late-season boost to Reds: The Reds think Willie Bloomquist can have an impact over the final weeks of the regular season.

"He's much needed," Reds manager Dusty Baker told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "He plays all over, especially in the outfield where we could use him. Plus, he can pinch-run and pinch-hit, especially against left-handers. We've been searching for a couple of weeks. We got him because we need him. We hope he's a valuable spoke in the wheel."